The White House Has a Plan for IVF—Here’s What We Know (and What We Don’t)

On Thursday, October 16, 2025, President Trump announced the administration’s plans to address the financial barriers many Americans face when it comes to accessing fertility care, specifically IVF. The plans include efforts to reduce the costs of some medications associated with IVF and encouraging employers to offer benefits that help people build their families.

The US government entered an agreement with EMD Serono, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of fertility pharmaceuticals (they create Gonal-f which is used to stimulate egg production), to lower the cost of EMD Serono’s medications. As part of the agreement, EMD Serono will offer their products directly to consumers at reduced prices through TrumpRx.gov, a new direct purchasing platform that the White House is launching in January 2026.

The President’s announcement also outlined a pathway for large and small employers to offer separate IVF insurance products, like how many offer separate dental and vision products. While it encourages, but does not require employer action, this pathway is a vehicle for employers to use.

There was also something else that happened that was a pivotal moment for our movement. The White House underscored what RESOLVE has been shouting from the rooftops since IVF was first performed in the US, IVF is a critical medical treatment that gives people a chance to build the family of their dreams. This wouldn’t be possible without you – the RESOLVE community – who with your stories and advocacy bring to life why IVF is so critical for so many families.

What does RESOLVE think?

During his campaign, the President promised that the government would mandate that insurance companies cover IVF treatment. Yesterday’s announcement does not deliver on that promise, which gave hope to so many families.

We know that the White House announcements are a step, not a comprehensive solution.

But, we believe it’s important to acknowledge progress when progress is made. And yesterday’s announcement touched upon two big concerns for Americans facing infertility: reducing IVF drug costs and encouraging companies to offer increased family building benefits. We believe these are important steps forward on the road to ensuring all Americans can access the care they need to build the families of their dreams. But there’s a lot more work to do.

At a time when fertility care is becoming increasingly politicized by those ideologically opposed to IVF, the President’s support for IVF matters. This announcement sends a signal to policymakers and employers that infertility is deserving of coverage – a necessity rather than a luxury. However, the potential impact for patients depends on what happens next.

The White House has communicated a plan for IVF—but what’s still missing, and what does RESOLVE want to know?

We hear you–you want more details and so do we. Here are a few things we’re looking into and where we can be of service to the decision makers.

What will the Department of Labor deem as acceptable benefits? RESOLVE will share our model benefits with the administration with the hopes of informing their rulemaking process. Rulemaking is a regulatory process used by federal agencies to define how policies get implemented. Importantly, rulemaking includes a public comment period and we will ensure that this is an opportunity to make our community’s voice heard.

How will companies adding benefits be enforced if there is not a federal mandate? RESOLVE still believes that a federal mandate to cover fertility care, including IVF, will help the most people.

How many people will be impacted? Senator Katie Britt (AL) said at the press conference that this new plan will “impact one million people.” We’re looking into how this number was determined and who is included.

How and when can patients access the medication discount? While the portal is expected to launch in January 2026, we don’t know when patients will be eligible to purchase their medication through TrumpRx. The White House announcement also referenced using income thresholds, which may determine who in the patient community will benefit.

While we want all patients to have access to reduced medication prices and benefits, this will take time to be implemented. It’s important that if you’re considering pursuing IVF treatments to build your family that you talk to a reproductive endocrinologist about how timing of treatments impacts your chances of a successful outcome.

Will Federal Employees and our servicemembers gain access to IVF coverage through their insurance plans? The US government is the largest employer in the country. We urge policymakers to take the opportunity to provide the benefits that they’re encouraging other employers to take.

Who will be eligible to receive these benefits? We don’t know how the benefits will be structured, but we do know that our community will fight together to ensure that everyone who needs care gets it.

Does this impact RESOLVE’s efforts at the state level to protect and expand access to IVF?

The short answer is: no. Our work continues, stronger than ever.

While the White House’s recent announcement shows important federal attention on fertility care, the recommendations related to employer-based insurance coverage do not require employers to offer or expand fertility care benefits. For this reason, RESOLVE’s work at the state level to pass laws that mandate insurance coverage for fertility care remains essential.

In fact, we can use federal attention on this issue to create momentum in the states. When national leaders signal that fertility care should be accessible and affordable, it helps build bipartisan support for coverage across the country. We’ve already seen this play out in California, where a longstanding “mandate to offer” law was successfully strengthened to a “mandate to cover” with the help of RESOLVE and our advocacy partners — expanding coverage to thousands of families beginning in 2026.

RESOLVE will continue fighting at the state level to make sure every person, no matter where they live or work, has access to comprehensive fertility coverage. The most effective way to achieve that goal is through insurance mandates, and we remain committed to that mission.

What’s next?

RESOLVE is meeting with partners and advocates to understand what questions still need to be answered and identify opportunities for our community to make our voices heard.

We will continue our advocacy work at the state and federal level to ensure everyone has access to the fertility treatments they need to build the family they dream of. We stand with our patient community who wants to see transformative access to care, and we will continue to fight with you.

What can you do?

We need you to sign up for our RESOLVE Advocacy Network—there’s no better time. We need you to be alert and ready to take action whether it’s with the state house or the White House.

Please share your story with us. Your experience trying to build a family and facing barriers to care needs to be heard.

Support the mission. Donate today, we’ve got work to do.